Public Hearing: YES ☒ NO ☐ Department: Planning & Sustainability
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): 3 and 6
Application of Eisenhower Services, Inc. c/o Tracy Swearington, Sr. to rezone property from Tier 4a of the Bouldercrest Overlay District within the Soapstone Historic District with an underlying M (Industrial) zoning district to Tier 5 of the Bouldercrest Overlay District within the Soapstone Historic District with an underlying R-100 (Residential Medium Lot-100) zoning district to allow a single-family, residential development, at 1680, 1690 and 1700 Henrico Road.
Body
PETITION NO: D4-2026-0151 Z-26-1247931
PROPOSED USE: Single-family residential development.
LOCATION: 1680, 1690 and 1700 Henrico Road, Conley, GA 30288
PARCEL NO. : 15 046 01 001; 15 046 01 006; 15 046 01 005
INFO. CONTACT: John Reid, Sr. Planner
PHONE NUMBER: 404-371-2155
PURPOSE:
Application of Eisenhower Services, Inc. c/o Tracy Swearington, Sr. to rezone property from Tier 4a of the Bouldercrest Overlay District within the Soapstone Historic District with an underlying M (Industrial) zoning district to Tier 5 of the Bouldercrest Overlay District within the Soapstone Historic District with an underlying R-100 (Residential Medium Lot-100) zoning district to allow a single-family, residential development.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
COMMUNITY COUNCIL: (Oct. 2026) Approval. (June 2026) Full-Cycle Deferral. Feb. 2026) Denial.
PLANNING COMMISSION: (Nov. 5, 2026) Pending. (July 7, 2026) Denial. (March 3, 2026) No Recommendation.
PLANNING STAFF: (Nov. 2026) Approval with Conditions.
STAFF ANALYSIS: The Bouldercrest Overlay District (BOD) was adopted by the Board of Commissioners on March 22, 2013. The two primary industrial tiers include Tier 4 and Tier 4a. Tier 4A of the BOD is the industrial area along the east side of I-675 and west of the existing Georgia Power Overhead Utility Easement located south of I-285 and north of Cedar Grove Road. Because Tier 4A is only separated from residential neighborhoods by the utility easement, uses and standards are more stringent in this tier. Tier 4a is adjacent to Tier 5 which is a single-family residential tier to the east and, at this location, is currently developed with a single-family residential subdivision (Westside Place and Bouldercrest Phase 2). The remainder of Tier 4a appears to be developed with industrial uses including truck parking. There are many competing goals emanating from the 2050 Comprehensive Plan and the Bouldercrest Overlay District that should be considered in the staff recommendation for this project. Given these goals and the subject properties’ proximity to existing single-family neighborhoods and frontage along two interstates and a truck route, it appears that either industrial or single-family residential may be appropriate on these properties. Some additional considerations regarding the application are included in the Staff report. This request was deferred from the August 13th Board of Commissioners meeting. The application and concept plan have not changed Notwithstanding the competing land use considerations identified above, the overarching housing policy goals of the 2050 Comprehensive Plan, the twelve-year absence of industrial development on the subject properties, the compatibility of the proposed use with the established residential neighborhood to the east, and the approval of Tier 5 residential zoning on the adjacent properties (1670 and 1734 Henrico Road) by the Board of Commissioners which established a foothold for additional single-family zoning in the immediate vicinity. The site plan has demonstrated ability to meet BOD Tier 5 and R-100 development standards collectively support a recommendation of approval. Therefore, based on review of the applicable criteria under Section 27-7.3.5 of the DeKalb County Zoning Ordinance, it is the recommendation of the Planning & Sustainability Department that this application be “Approved, with the attached conditions”.
PLANNING COMMISSION VOTE: (Nov. 5, 2026) Pending. (July 7, 2026) Denial 6-0-2. Motion was made by Commissioner Costello, seconded by Commissioner Moore for denial. Commissioner Cooper & Commissioner Williams abstained. (March 3, 2026) No Recommendation (4-3-0). Motion was made by Commissioner Costello, seconded by Commissioner Zou for denial. Commissioners Murphy, Osler and Patton opposed.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL VOTE/RECOMMENDATION: (Oct. 2026) Approval 8-0-0. (June 2026) Full-Cycle Deferral (7-0-0) to allow time for a Small Area Plan (SAP) to be adopted so that the proposal can be reviewed against the SAP goals and recommendations. (February 2026) Denial 11-0-0. The Council recommended denial due to concerns over loss of industrial property and that residential use was not appropriate in this industrial location where there is lots of truck traffic along Henrico Road. The Council was supportive of more single-family residential housing in appropriate locations in District 3.